PrettyLittleThing customers angry after account ban for returns – BBC News

Fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing (PLT) is facing criticism from customers who have had their accounts with the company deactivated due to the number of times they have returned their purchases.

In an email from the BBC on Friday, shoppers were told that their accounts had been checked and closed so they could no longer place further orders.

Some affected have taken to social media to criticize the new policy, claiming they have only made one return so far this year, or suggesting they would return fewer items if the company were more consistent in sizing clothing items.

PLT did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

One PLT customer labeled the last step a “joke” and said there would be no need for a return if the sizing and quality of the clothing weren’t “terrible.”

On X they posted: “You don’t have a physical store, [of course] people will give things back.”

Another wrote that they received an email informing them that their account was being deactivated, despite the fact that their last return to the company was three months ago.

On TikTok, videos of shoppers wondering why their accounts have been suspended have also received hundreds of likes.

It was not immediately clear what criteria the company used for its decisions.

Becca Unsworth, a 24-year-old pension provider from Preston, told the BBC she was “shocked” after her account was suspended.

At first, she wasn’t sure if the email had been sent to her in error.

However, on Saturday morning she says she was told by a PLT customer service advisor that it was real.

She describes herself as a loyal customer for seven years: “I go to PLT for basically everything: something for work, a new top for a night out, hair stuff, beauty products. I’ve spent so much money there.

“I’ll come back, but that’s because something arrives wrong or I have to order an item in three different sizes to make sure it even fits,” she said, slamming the brand’s sizing as “terrible ” described.

Becca had also paid the £9.99 fee to access PLT’s “Royalty” scheme for a year’s worth of unlimited deliveries in the UK.

But she has been told that now that her account has been deactivated, the company will not give her a refund or a partial refund.

She adds that the experience “moves [her] never to shop there again’ and now she will choose Asos or Shein.

Sophie Smith, a 26-year-old PLT shopper from Norwich, said she initially thought the message she received was a “joke”.

She has been a member of the ‘Royalty’ delivery program since it was first offered and chooses PLT for outfits for bottomless brunches, weddings or nights out.

She told the BBC that she has only returned to PLT once this year, adding that she felt the latest development showed the company “doesn’t value their customers”.

In the email, PLT apologized for any inconvenience caused and pointed out that shoppers can still make returns through the online portal.

PLT is part of the Boohoo Group, which was founded in 2006 by Mahmud Kamani and retail manager Carol Kane.

The brand started as an accessories-only outfit, with an emphasis on trendy, inexpensive pieces.

It was co-founded and led by Umar Kamani, one of Mahmud Kamani’s sons, who drove the brand’s collaboration with supermodel Naomi Campbell and influencer Molly-May Haag, as well as its expansion in the US.

Although Boohoo Group has been in the spotlight for its practices, it was one of the big winners of the pandemic as online retailers thrived.

However, since then the company has faced several challenges: returns normalized, increasing competition from ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein, and customers’ budgets coming under pressure during the cost of living crisis.

Customers recently expressed their frustration when PLT decided to introduce a £1.99 fee for returns, including for members of the “Royalty” service.

High Street giants such as Zara, Uniqlo and Next already charge for online returns, while PLT rival OhPolly recently introduced a policy where the larger the amount of an order returned, the higher the return costs.

Instead of a flat fee, shoppers will now have to pay an €8.99 return fee to return each item they order, versus €2.99 for, say, less than half of the items.

However, analysts have said that retailers themselves are facing cost pressures, meaning they must implement these charges or raise prices.

It can be expensive for fashion retailers to cover the costs of returns and they must also consider the environmental impact of using vans for this purpose.

As a result, more and more companies have chosen to pass the costs on to customers, and to curb returns by introducing stricter inspections to see when clothing has been worn for an occasion and returned after one use .